Wakefield First's Maker of the Month: Catherine Booker: Graphic Designer

Catherine Booker is a graphic designer based in Wakefield, through her business Cultivate, she's created countless types of digital content for a multitude of different clients. She's worked with Marshalls, SusiRed, HLM Architects, What Future? and Arup, just to name a few.

Wakefield First reached out to Catherine to gain further insight into her origins with Cultivate, her favourite projects and what the future might hold.

"I set up Cultivate in 2017, bringing 20 years of graphic design experience from my time working for large firms in the built environment. I’ve seen how a blend of strategy and design can help businesses win work, stand out from the competition and grow, so my ambition on setting out on my own was to work with my own clients and be part of helping them achieve that.

My focus is on brand identity and design for print. I design a wide range of communications including logos, brand identities, product launch campaigns, promotional brochures, sample boxes & point of sales, product presentations, large format and exhibitions, social media and event materials."

"I have a bold, simplistic design style and love to work on projects where I get to show that side of my design work. I also believe a successful project starts with a good strategy, so I work with my clients from the outset to ensure a solid brief or brand strategy is in place."

"I’ve lived in Wakefield for 20 years now so when I set up on my own I decided working from home would work well for me, especially given all the great stuff going on here including access to green space, art spaces, and food & drink. From seeing the work of amazing sculptors at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth, to craft and food fairs at The Tileyard and Art House. Wakefield also has plenty of good independent cafes, bars and restaurants in the city centre."

"I design a lot of promotional literature for large firms so when the opportunity arises I love working on brand identity projects with start-ups. Helping people who are just starting out on their journey get their business off the ground with a new brand identity is very exciting and rewarding. Recently I had the pleasure of working with the inspirational women’s leadership coach and founder of Unstoppable You, Rebecca Day, to design a brand identity for her new business and I’m thrilled to have played a part in her new venture. Another project I loved worked on was ‘Something in a Box’, a brand identity for an online seller in the boxed gift market. This turned into an identity full of vibrant colours and bold illustrations which the client really loved."

"I’m currently learning Adobe After Effects so soon I’ll be extending my service offering to video and animation."

To find out even more about Catherine and her work, please visit the Cultivate website here: Cultivate Home (designedbycultivate.com)